Soccer ball size and FIFA standards

Today we will talk about a rather commonplace topic. We will discuss the size of the soccer ball, or rather the FIFA standards that they impose on the gaming areas if it is necessary to hold some kind of official game. You can kick a ball of any size and any quality in your yard, but on a professional level, this will not be allowed.

So, our goal for today is to figure out by what criteria modern soccer balls are assessed, what sizes they are, and what certificates they are awarded.

Standards

Since the football rules are the same for everyone and they are adhered to in all countries of the world, it means that the size of the soccer ball should be fixed for each type of football. This uniformity of standards applies only to those matches that are held under the auspices of FIFA, but, as you yourself understand, this is practically all serious competition on our football planet.

Oddly enough, there are uniform standards for balls that all manufacturers must adhere to. For those not in the know, these standards were once developed by the Danes of Select Sport on a special order from FIFA.

Compliance with established standards is rewarded with three special logos, but before learning about their purpose, you must first understand how the balls are tested for quality.

Ball tests

Today, all balls for official games are tested for 8 main parameters:

1. Sphericity.
2. The size of the circle.
3. Moisture resistance.
4. Rebound height.
5. The weight.
6. Holding pressure.
7. Balance.
8. Strength.

The table below shows more detailed figures for each item for big football.

It’s the same thing for futsal.

How is testing done? It’s very simple: you take a ball, pump it up with compressed air to 0.8 bar and at an air temperature of about 20 degrees (relative humidity within 65%) is tested for 24 hours.

And here, in fact, is the table of ball sizes.

Stigma

The presence of the “brand” from FIFA indicates that the size of the soccer ball, as well as its other parameters, are normal, that everything has been checked by serious adults who have given the go-ahead to use the sphere for playing at the highest level.

Such logos are of the following types:

1. FIFA Approved… Indicates FIFA approval. Highest quality standard. In addition to the eight tests above, to achieve this standard, the ball is additionally tested for strength by being hit by 2,000 hits on a steel plate at a speed of 50 km / h. If the ball retains its original characteristics after such abuse, it will receive the highest quality mark.
2. FIFA Inspected… For this standard, it is enough to pass only 6 tests out of 8.
3. IMS… The analogue of this standard is FIFA Inspected. The quality is the same, but cannot be used in official games. This is a note for those who want to buy a quality ball, but do not want to overpay for the logos they do not need from the main football office.

The fact is that the certified companies that FIFA trusts to test balls do it, of course, not for free. Let’s say these experts learned the size of a soccer ball, and got their own penny, which was already included in the cost of the ball. And the more expensive testing is, the more expensive the ball will eventually cost.

This is another hint that if you need a good ball for training and playing not at the official level, it will be enough to choose a model with the IMS logo and you will be happy.